After the richness of holiday foods, simple, clean, fresh food, that is low in calories, is just what our bodies cry out for.  Vegetable farmer and Saratoga Farmers' Market vendor, Philip Kilpatrick shares a wonderful simple winter soup from his family kitchen (and garden).   For those who are vegetarians, skip the chicken broth and use vegetable soup stock or water.

Root Cellar Soup

10 medium potatoes

1 butternut squash

Chicken broth

(soup stock, or water)

6 large carrots

1 onion, diced, optional

3 cups milk

1 cup half & half

Salt and pepper to taste

Peel, wash and cut up potatoes, carrots, and squash in cubes.  Place potatoes and squash in a large soup pot and cover with broth, soup stock or water.  Use just enough liquid to cover 2 inches on the bottom of your pot.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, then add carrots and diced onions.  Continue simmering until all vegetables are tender. (You may need to add a bit more liquid depending on how quickly your vegetables soften).   Remove from heat and puree with a hand blender.  Add milk, half and half, salt and pepper. Mix well and return to heat just long enough to make the soup a good temperature to serve. 

The Kilpatricks are a large family and this recipe feeds all 8 of them.  You may cut the recipe in half or store in the refridgerator for a few days and reheat.

The Saratoga Farmers' Market continues through the winter in the Salvation Army Building on Woodlawn Ave, Saturdays only, 9-1pm. 

Pork with Caramelized Pears and Sweet Gazed Potatoes

This recipe is from a relatively new cookbook (2007), America's Best Lost Recipes, compiled by Cooks Country Magazine.  This book is full of heirloom recipes that emphasize local foods.  Our grandmothers didn't get ingredients from China etc. and so the recipes from this collection are down home good.  Best of all you can find the most of the ingredients for this week's recipe and all the others in the book at your local Saratoga Farmers' Market.  There is nothing like home grown, fresh ingredients to recreate the flavors from our childhood memories.

Ingredients                                                                                (recipe serves 6-8)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2  tsp pepper

1/2  tsp ground cinnamon

1 (6-7 lb.) bone-in pork shoulder roast  (a boneless pork roast can also be used)*

4 tbsp. unsalted butter*

1/2 c maple syrup*

1/4 c packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 c water

2 pounds sweet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks*

2 large firm Bartlett (or Anjou) pears, peeled, cored and quartered*

*All these ingredients are found at the Saratoga Farmers' Market, Saturdays 9-1 at the Salvation Army Building on Woodlawn Ave.

Directions

1.  Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the salt, pepper and cinnamon together and rub all over the pork.  Transfer the roast, fat side up, to the pan and cook until the fat becomes golden (about 2 hours).

2.  Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in the maple syrup, brown sugar, cloves, nutmeg and water and bring to boil.  As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

3.  Remove the roast from the oven and pour off excess fat from the bottom of the pan.  Toss the sweet potatoes and pears with a half the maple mixture and then transfer them to the bottom of the roasting pan.  Brush the top and sides of the roast with the remaining maple mixture.  Return to the oven and cook until the top of the roast is gold en brown, about 1 hour.

4.  Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees and continue to cook until the pork registers 180 degrees and the vegetable/fruit are completely softened, about 45 minutes.  (Be sure not to let the sauce scorch during this last cooking time).

5.  Transfer the roast to the cutting board and tent with foil and rest for 20 minutes.  If the pears and potatoes are not soft enough, return them to the oven while the pork rests.  Slice the roast and place on a serving platter.  Arrange the pears and sweet potatoes around the roast and pour the sauce from the roasting pan over the roast.  Serve.

It may be past apple harvesting, but thanks to cool storage buildings apples of all types and fresh cider abound at our two apple vendors at the market:  Saratoga Apple and Bowman Orchards North.  While there is nothing like a wonderful cold eating apple with a snap to it, I crave warm things at this time of year.  Below are two of my childhood favorites that are now also part of my children's' culinary wish list.

Swedish Apple Pie 

This easy, and so delicious, crust less pie recipe came via my Swedish born neighbor, Mrs. Newkirk, so it must be “authentic”.

Mix together:

1 large egg slightly beaten

3/4 c sugar

1/2 c flour

1 tsp. Baking powder

1/2 tsp vanilla

Dash of salt

Add

1-2 c peeled, cored, diced

local apples

1/2 c chopped pecans or walnuts

Mix Well

Put mixture in a greased pie tin.  Smooth over the top. (Some like to add cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top).  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes.  Best when served warm with vanilla ice cream.

Mulled Apple Cider 

This was my mother's stock and trade for the holidays and a big hit with carolers who always came to sing at our door. Its great aroma beckons you inside and warms you from the inside out.

Mix together in a large pot over the stove:

1-gallon fresh apple cider

1/2  c brown sugar

2 cinnamon sticks

2 tsp. Cloves

Bring to boil, stirring constantly and then just keep warm to ladle out on demand.  Leftover cider can also be stored in the refrigerator and heated up as desired.

Both of these recipes will be available for sampling at the Saratoga Farmers' Market this Saturday, December 1 as we kick off our holiday season with our annual nonperishable food drive to help needy families of Saratoga.  The market will be open for shopping, sampling and food donations from 9a-1pm Saturday at Saratoga Salvation Army Building on Woodlawn Ave.